Finest Hour: Amazon.co.uk: Tim Clayton, Phil Craig: Books

Amazon.co.uk Review

A defeated, retreating British Expeditionary Force, the miraculous evacuation at Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain, the evacuation to America and the Blitz. You couldn't make the story of 1940 dull if you tried. But even the best material has to be threaded into a manageable narrative and Tim Clayton and Phil Craig don't disappoint. Finest Hour is never less than engaging and frequently does rather better. On the jacket blurb, Clayton and Craig seem keen to establish their bona fides as heavyweight historians and claim to have uncovered a "fresh and controversial" account of the political intrigues and betrayals of the period. There's actually nothing really controversial on offer--at least nothing that hasn't been aired elsewhere. If this comes as a disappointment to the authors, it need not to the reader because we are left with something just as, if not more, valuable, namely an accessible layperson's ride through the political and military manoeuvrings. Clayton and Craig are particularly good at guiding us through the early days of Churchill's premiership. Read most populist accounts and you would imagine that the moment Churchill took office the bulldog spirit took over and the plucky Brits stood resolute. Not so. The case for appeasement was still being made within the Cabinet up until the evacuation of Dunkirk, as Lord Halifax had a great deal of support for his conciliatory views. Bizarrely, the thing that ultimately counted against him was his title as it was felt the Upper House should not hold sway over the Commons. Where this book excels, though, is in the quality of its eyewitness testimonies. Many books have previously used this technique of threading narrative with the first person but few have found such eloquent speakers. Most eyewitnesses fudge the difficult bits with remarks like, "It was hell". Clayton and Craig's witnesses don't pull their punches. We hear of one Brit who shot a German officer in cold blood and had nightmares for ages afterwards. We hear of the sailor who saw his gunner decapitated. We experience the stench of burnt flesh following the shelling of an ambulance. In short, we are spared nothing. It may not be comfortable reading but you can't ignore it. 60 years after the men and women in these pages fought and died, there's a tendency for the rest of us to take the freedom they gave us for granted. They deserve a better memorial than a slow fading into nothingness. This book ensures they get it. --John Crace --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Amazon.co.uk Review

Clayton and Craig are particularly good at guiding us through the early days of Churchill's premiership. Read most populist accounts and you would imagine that the moment Churchill took office the bulldog spirit took over and we plucky Brits stood resolute. Not so. The case for appeasement was still being made within the Cabinet up until the evacuation of Dunkirk, as Lord Halifax had a great deal of support for his conciliatory views. Bizarrely, the thing that ultimately counted against him was his title as it was felt the Upper House should not hold sway over the Commons. Where this book excels, though, is in the quality of its eyewitness testimonies. Many books have previously used this technique of threading narrative with the first person but few have found such eloquent speakers. Most eyewitnesses fudge the difficult bits with remarks like, "It was hell". Clayton and Craig's witnesses don't pull their punches. We hear of one Brit who shot a German officer in cold blood and had nightmares for ages afterwards. We hear of the sailor who saw his gunner decapitated. We experience the stench of burnt flesh following the shelling of an ambulance. In short, we are spared nothing. It may not be comfortable reading but you can't ignore it. 60 years after the men and women in these pages fought and died, there's a tendency for the rest of us to take the freedom they gave us for granted. They deserve a better memorial than a slow fading into nothingness. This book ensures they get it. --John Crace --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

Absolutely Magnificent 3 Sep 2001

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

I bought this book expecting it to be a rather dry historical overview of the Battle of Britain, concerned with numbers, dates and what Churchill said to whom. Instead I discovered an intensive social history of the ordinary men and women who served in and were concerned with the Fall of France and the Battle of Britain. Soldiers catapulted from the lull of "Phony War" to savage combat in France and Belgium as a result of the 1940 German offensive; RAF pilots who fought bravely but where overwhelmed in the skies of France; the sailors who assisted in the evacuation of Dunkirk; the secretarial staff of Winston Churchill; American war correspondents observing the first German bombing raids from the Cliffs of Dover; again the brave and determined RAF pilots flying and fighting over their native soil; WAAF radar plotters assisting the pilots seek their targets; civillians whose lives were shattered by the intensive terror bombing of London; child evacuees on their ill fated trip to Canada and Royal Navy personnel escorting the convoys to and from a beseiged Britain all have their stories told here. The writing is urgent and immediate, it makes one feel that the Battle of Britain occurred only a couple of years ago rather than sixty. I found this book so compelling I read it from cover to cover in two sittings within 24 hours. As a result of this book I have discovered a newfound respect for Winston Churchill, who led Britain and inspired the Dominions of the British Empire through what was our darkest, yet finest hour.

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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

Compelling History and Characters 26 Sep 2002

By Malcolm Smith

I am not a prolific reader, the books I read have to go at a pace for me to stay the course. The huge disadvantage of this lack of staying power is that I very rarely finish a book and feel any sense of achievement.

This book, and its sequel The End of The Beginning, have both proved to be rare examples where I have felt that I have learnt something while being thoroughly entertained.

For me, this comes from the characters around which the history is recounted. Both these books cover events that have been the subject of TV and film dramatisation but these used characters created around Hollywood stars or English character actors. The people who provided so much of the material for the books were involved in the war in the ranks, at home and in command. The stories they told to the authors during the years of research bring a powerful reality to the fighting and the hardships the endured.

There is a spitfire pilot who falls in love while struggling to match the victories of his fellow heroes. There is a soldier wounded while trying to hold back the German army in a French cemet factory, a family trapped by the blitz in the East-end of London and a naval rating dealing with the aftermath of surving the sinking of his ship at Dunkirk. The book brings their fears to life as well as their remarkable resolve to carry on their fight, to survive, to win.

This book has not changed my view of WW2 but it has made me painfully aware of how much it dominated the lives of civilians and the Forces. I was greatly moved by parts of the book.

This is a great book. I doubt anyone will start this book and not finish it - and they will be glad that they did.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

great book saying how ww2 affected the british people 18 May 2001

This book draws largely on the experiences of many civilians, sailors, soldiers and pilots from the british armed forces before and during the battle of britain. Its a great book because it allows the people who were there to tell the story of what happened to them, making it very personal while at the same time giving a big picture of what was happening by drawing on the experiences of so many people at the time. Any british person should read this to learn a bit about this countries heritage and any historian or anyone with just a mild interest in ww2 should read this. Be warned its not an action book buts it goes far deeper than that with many moving pieces which can make this a very emotional book, i know of one veteran who after reading this broke down in tears as it brought is own memories back.